The hydraulic excavator is one of the most commonly used machines in mining. Because of this, researchers have a great interest in studying its productivity and optimization of work. The research within this work is based on a detailed study of the operation of an excavator in real conditions. According to the available literature, such research is relatively modest and there is a lot of room for improvement. In order to access the data that provides insight into the real operation of the excavator, it is necessary to continuously measure the extension and pressures on the hydraulic cylinders. This is achieved by using a specific measuring system that can perform a simultaneous measurement of several parameters on the excavator during its work in real conditions. The measured data was processed using a computer program written in the Python programming language. Using standard kinematic and dynamic models of excavators, values of dynamic parameters of work (force, power, and energy consumption during digging) and geometric parameters of digging (tooth angle, length, and cutting area) were obtained. The field measurements were performed on 5 different machines and a total of 13 materials. Laboratory and field measurements determined the characteristics of the material (granulation, moisture content, and bulk density). In the paper, the productivity of digging was calculated, which represents the mass or volume of the excavated material in the time it took to perform the digging. In the frame of the statistical processing of data, multiple regression analyses have been performed on the influence of the characteristics of the material on the dynamic parameters of the excavator and the digging geometry. By regression analysis, the influence of the characteristics of the rocks and the geometry of digging on the productivity of digging are also shown. The size distribution has been found to be the most influential property of non-cohesive materials on the productivity of digging, while the length of the digging trajectory is the most influential geometric size. Through detailed analysis of the separate work cycles of the excavators, the difference in optimal digging trajectory in different materials has been determined. The classification of productivity of excavators digging in different materials is proposed. A model for assessing the characteristics of the materials based on the dynamic working parameters of the excavator is also proposed.